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July 12, 2011

Emmy-winner and William & Mary Alumnus Bill Schermerhorn Brings Broadway Performers to Kimball Theatre to Perform Original Music

Broadway performers Darlene Love, Julia Murney, Anthony Rapp and Matt Dengler star in “Free to Dream: New Songs for the American Journey ” at the Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg July 22 and 23. Television personality Willard Scott lends his recorded voice to the program, which showcases the people and places that make up the fabric of America with musical styles from country, rock and pop to swing and the blues. A nine-piece band accompanies the singers for this special concert of songs adapted for Colonial Williamsburg by Grammy-winning composer Doug Katsaros and lyricist William Schermerhorn, 2011 Daytime Emmy winner for original song, “Yes, Virginia (There’s a Santa Claus),” first performed at the 2010 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Schermerhorn is also a two-time Emmy-nominated lyricist and William and Mary alumnus.

Performances are 8 p.m. Friday, July 22 and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, July 23 at the Kimball Theatre, located in Merchants Square. Tickets are $39 for adults, $35 for seniors and military and $19 for students and children and are available at the Kimball Theatre box office or by calling 1-800-447-8679. The program is presented by Colonial Williamsburg in partnership with the Virginia Arts Festival. For more information about the concert, visit www.colonialwilliamsburg.com

Darlene Love, a 2011 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, is best known for her hit songs “He’s a Rebel,” “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “He’s Sure the Boy I’m Gonna Marry.” Love performed in the stage productions of “Hairspray,” “Grease” and “Leader of the Pack.” On the silver screen, she is most recognizable as Danny Glover’s wife in the “Lethal Weapon” films. Julia Murney appeared on Broadway as Elphaba in “Wicked” and in the off-Broadway production of “The Wild Party.” Anthony Rapp originated the role of Mark Cohen in the Tony Award-winning rock opera “Rent.” He also starred in films including “Dazed and Confused,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “Six Degrees of Separation,” among others. Matt Dengler understudied the role of Henrik in the Broadway revival of “A Little Night Music” and played the role of the Mute in the off-Broadway revival of “The Fantasticks.” Elainey Bass, a nine-year-old student at Northern Shores Elementary in Suffolk, is cast in the role of the little girl. Bass is a member of the Hurrah Players Theatre Company and has been performing since the age of five.

Katsaros and Schermerhorn have been collaborating for nearly a decade, writing songs for national audiences as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks and other notable events. They debuted “Free to Dream: New Songs for the American Journey” in July 2010 to rave reviews. In addition to the title song “Free to Dream,” the July concert program will include the original songs “It’s All About Tonight,” “Beneath a Summer Sky,” “Gift of Light” and “Sing Another Day.”

Composer, arranger, keyboardist and vocalist Doug Katsaros has worked on recordings with performers including Elton John, Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra. His musical theater compositions include “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Footloose,” and on-screen credits include “If Lucy Fell” and “Me and the Mob.” Kastsaros’ many projects have garnered Emmy and Drama Desk nominations, and a Grammy Award. He has conducted “Great Performances” on PBS and has written special materials for the Tony Awards.

Schermerhorn is the vice president and creative director of Macy’s Parade & Entertainment Group, responsible for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks and other extravaganzas. He has received two Daytime Emmy nominations for outstanding original song, and in 2009 celebrated the Carnegie Hall debut of his “American River Suite,” a five-piece musical tone poem written with composer Stephen Flaherty. He has also written original material for Julie Andrews, Harvey Fierstein and Walter Cronkite. His songs have been performed at Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub in New York, Feinstein’s, Universal Studios Orlando, Walt Disney World’s EPCOT, Boston Common and in London’s West End.

Located in Williamsburg’s Merchants Square, the restored Kimball Theatre presents films, live performances, musical concerts and special programs. Creative programming alliances with the College of William and Mary, community organizations and Colonial Williamsburg link the past with the present. The 410-seat theater also houses a 35-seat screening room which enables the theater to offer films to the community seven days a week, even when live performances are staged in the main theater. For more information, call (757) 565-8588 or visit www.kimballtheatre.com.

Established in 1997, the mission of the Virginia Arts Festival is to bring world-class performing arts to citizens and visitors, impact the lives of students through outstanding educational programs, commission new works of national and international significance and make a tangible difference in Hampton Roads through regional partnerships and positive economic impact through the generation of cultural tourism.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational and cultural organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration and presentation of the 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg offers more than 1,000 guest rooms among five hotels, including the landmark Williamsburg Inn, four historic dining taverns and six other restaurants, a full-service 20,000-square-foot spa, 45 holes of golf at the Golden Horseshoe golf courses and 67,000 square feet of conference space centered at the renovated and expanded Williamsburg Lodge. Purchase of Colonial Williamsburg products and services supports the Foundation’s preservation, research and educational programs. Philanthropic support by individuals, corporations, and foundations benefits the educational mission of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Williamsburg is located in Virginia’s Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport News, within an hour’s drive of Richmond and Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington, D.C. For more information about Colonial Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial Williamsburg’s website at colonialwilliamsburg.com.